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Narumiya Mei
Narumiya Mei is a second year student of Inashiro Industrial and the ace of the school's baseball team. He is considered the No. 1 southpawleft-handed pitcher of the Kantō region and is nicknamed "The Prince of the Capital" for his exemplar performance during the Summer Koshien Tournament. Appearance Narumiya is a somewhat average in height, half an inch shorter than Sawamura. He has spikey blonde hair and blue eyes. Not unlike Miyuki, Narumiya has an even larger amount of fangirls who cheer for him whenever he's on the mound Character Narumiya is a confident youth who believes that he is entitled to being somewhat selfish because he’s a pitcher. He actually dislikes practicing, but makes fair effort when he deems a particular training to be necessary for him. After Inashiro's defeat prior to the series, Narumiya has realized how much effort he needs to exert in order to cope with the mistake he did causing the loss of his team. He hates to lose, taking pride in his skills and the fact that he is the ace; thus, he always talks big, doesn't like it when his pitches are hit and hates it when other pitchers are complimented. He also criticize his teammates when he thinks they are not performing well specially his former captain Harada. Despite this, his teammates show absolute trust in him as their ace, following his lead even in critical moments. Before the Summer Koshien Finals, though only for a brief moment, Narumiya shows a humble side by bowing his head as he openly thank the help and support provided by his teammates.Manga chapter 202, Episode 66. He likes showing off his skills and gets very pleased when acknowledged or complimented by others. He is deemed to be arrogant but he takes his opponents seriously, and is the most difficult pitcher to face against in Kantō. As Miyuki puts it, "From an opponents view, there really isn't anyone worse to play against." Mei mostly focuses in opponents he takes an interest in, specifically skilled batters or pitchers. Among the opposing team he acknowledges are; Tetsuya Yuki, the only member of Seido who hit his pitch during his first year, and Miyuki Kazuya the catcher he hoped to recruit upon graduating Junior High. Although,he seems spoiled outside, he accepts his mistakes and learns from it. Outside of pitching, Narumiya has a very bubbly,air-headed, and somewhat childish personality. He acts somewhat lazy, but is actually only focused and puts an effort on what he's interested in. He strives to become the number one pitcher in Japan. History In Junior High, Narumiya gathered players whose skills he recognized to form the ultimate team, that will surely go to Koshien and proposes that they go to Inashiro Industrial. Miyuki declines, but Shirakawa, Carlos, Yamaoka, and Yabe went with him to Inashiro. In his freshman year, Narumiya pitched as a reliever during the semi-finals match against Seido, successfully closing the game with a win for his team. He pitched again as reliever on the first and second round of the Summer Koshien, where his prodigious skills were acknowledged despite being a freshman. On the third round of the tournament against Yatsuhiro Technical High School, he got on the mound from the sixth inning when the scores were tied at 2-2. On top of the eighth, with one out and a runner on third for Yatsuhiro, Narumiya knew the batter will do a squeeze play yet he threw a wild pitch, shifting the momentum to their opponent leading to Inashiro's defeat. Narumiya blamed himself, but is more annoyed with the fact that his senpais had not blamed him for his mistake because he's a first year. He felt not trusted enough by them. When the new team was formed, he cooped up in his room for days, ruined his form, skipped practices and left his teammates wondering if he'll quit the club. Realizing that he won't be satisfied if things continue on, he didn't pitch during the Fall Tournament but spent his time running and building himself to be a better pitcher no matter how selfish he/it maybe, just so he can redeem himself at Koshien. Upon recovering his pitching form with his will power, Harada had noticed change in Narumiya's pitching, particularly Narumiya's care with each pitch. Plot Narumiya is first seen in Fate when he and Harada approach Sawamura to ask about Furuya. Sawamura had not seen them play in the practice match between Inashiro and Seidou but is irritated that the Inashiro player is very interested in Furuya. Sawamura starts babbling about "another" great pitcher of Seidou, surprising Inashiro's battery. Narumiya asks who it is when Kuramochi and Miyuki steps in. Miyuki tells Narumiya about Furuya's poor condition but Narumiya seem to not believe him. Miyuki then asks if he'll pitch in Inashiro's game against Shuutoku and Narumiya confirms. In the scrimmage between Inashiro and Shuutoku, Narumiya displays his prowess in pitching and awes Seidou's freshmen pitchers. Narumiya notice Seidou watching and is pleased. He signals Harada that he wants to throw his new pitch. Harada doesn't like the idea because Kunitomo had instructed them not to give away any new information. Narumiya however, is too excited and Harada yields. Narumiya throws a "change-up". He along with his teammates later watch Seidou's scrimmage with Shuutoku. He comments on Tanba's character and is surprised when Tanba displays his new pitch, the forkball. He leaves with his team when the game abruptly ends after a pitch hit Tanba on the face, but is dismayed that he didn't get to see Furuya pitch. West Tokyo Tournament Semi-finals Narumiya watch Seidou's match against Sensen with Harada, Hirai and Yoshizawa. While, Hirai think that it's difficult to hit Maki's pitches from a high angle, Narumiya thinks he's just tall. He adds that Seidou is better off switching Tanba out calling his fastballs trash. Harada reminds Narumiya however, not to underestimate Tanba too much. Narumiya leaves with the excuse of buying a drink. After Seidou's match, Narumiya practice his pitching with Harada at the bullpen before their game against Sakurazawa High begin. He is again pleased to see Seidou observe him with "hilarious" faces. He wants them to watch carefully for he will change their glimmers of hope and dreams into despair. Early in the game, Inashiro find themselves having a hard time dealing with Akira Nagao's knuckle pitch but Narumiya returns the favor with his relentless pitching, consecutively striking out Sakurazawa's batters. This display of difference in skill, eventually leave their opponents thinking how they can score off him. Sakurazawa start making errors in their defense, giving Inashiro the opportunity to score and eventually the win. After the game, Narumiya tells Akira and his team to go home with their heads held high for their team only lost to the "best team" in the country for the season. This surprises Akira, but leaves completely accepting his team's loss. Inashiro goes to greet the crowd when Sawamura exclaims that they'll win against Inashiro. Narumiya smiles. Narumiya together with his second year peers, later sees Miyuki standing near the toilet entrance waiting for Seidou's freshmen trio. Shirakawa asks Miyuki if he was able to gather data which Miyuki replies none from that perfect pitching, flattering Narumiya. Narumiya then tells Miyuki that even without him, they are the strongest team and Koushien is something they won't give up on. He says he'll see Miyuki at the game as he and his group take their leave. Finals On the day of the finals, Narumiya yawns in the dugout as Harada express his concern. But Narumiya brush it off saying that he was busy thinking about how to crush Seidou the night before, and got too excited to sleep. He looks at Miyuki who stands looking back at him from Seidou's dugout. Narumiya wonder if this is the battle Miyuki wants, but warns him in his head that he'll regret going to Seidou. Narumiya pace himself early in the game by not pitching at full strength. Seidou manages to score in the first inning irritating him, but quickly turns serious with Yuki Tetsuya at bat. Narumiya pitch at full strength to strike him out. On top of the sixth, Harada tells Narumiya that they'll be shifting Seidou's focus on the change-up. He then throws a number of change-ups making Chris wonder what the battery is up to. Isashiki hits the pitch but the ball goes to the outfield. Narumiya kicks the dirt on the mound, showing his frustration. It was later on revealed that the more Narumiya pitches the change-up, the ball gets higher, thus Harada prefers not to use it often. After Seidou's battery walk Harada at the bottom of the seventh, Sawamura replaces Tanba on the mound surprising Narumiya. He wonders if Sawamura is a good pitcher or not then at-bat, he strikes out after three inside pitches and angrily leaves the batters box. On top of the eighth, Narumiya is still angry about the previous inning but his teammates remind him to calm down. When the game resume, Harada notice Seidou's swings have become sharper and gets bewildered. With runners on third(Furuya) and first for Seidou, Inashiro calls for a timeout. Narumiya is not happy and even more so, with the idea that they may need to concede a run. He says that such plan is boring when they're not even in a pinch because he's pitching. Next at-bat is Kuramochi and he bunts; Furuya makes it back home. Narumiya is displeased but Harada tells him to focus on the next batter. They are however again surprised that Seidou sends a pinch hitter in Ryosuke's place. The pinch hitter is Haruichi who is Ryosuke's younger brother and a freshman. Narumiya gets annoyed that the freshman uses a wooden bat and think of breaking it. Haruichi hits the first pitch and his bat breaks. The clean-ups are next but Narumiya ends up walking Isashiki. With the bases loaded, Narumiya gets another face-off with Yuki. He throws a change-up but is a little high and Yuki hits, resulting to double RBI. Seidou takes the lead at 3-4. Narumiya commends Yuki on the field but lets his frustration out behind the dugout. He comes out claiming to feel refreshed, but Shirakawa thinks otherwise. On top of the ninth, with Seidou once again in the position to score, Narumiya remembers his struggles after last years Summer Koshien, then later confess to his teammates on the mound that he's always thought of taking his revenge at the National stage. He says that he can't imagine them losing the game, surprising but delighting his teammates. He then successfully close Inashiro's defense, denying Seidou their chance of scoring. Bottom of the ninth, Kawakami replaces Sawamura after the latter hits Shirakawa on the head. With two outs and runners on first and second, Harada's at-bat and Narumiya's on-deck. Narumiya sees that his captain is tense and reminds him to relax. Harada calms and hits an RBI single tying the score at 4-4, shocking Seidou. As Seidou regain their focus, Narumiya hits a long one to the center field, sealing Inashiro's victory. Summer Koshien Inashiro defeats their opponents from the earlier rounds and Narumiya's nicknamed "The Prince of the Capital". They soon face Seihou High that features the monster batter, Shuzo Sano. Sano is impressed with Narumiya's change-up and looks forward to hit the pitch. On top of the ninth, Sano waits for the change-up but Narumiya strikes him out with a different pitch. Narumiya thinks that he wouldn't pitch the change-up if Sano consciously thinks about it, for he has learned his lesson at the West Tokyo Tournament Finals against Yuki. Inashiro wins their following matches, advancing all the way to the finals. The night before the finals, Narumiya took a moment to thank his teammates for their support. He thanks Iguuchi for backing him up, admitting that he couldn't have made it on his own pitching under the extreme heat. He also thanks Hirai and Yoshizawa for making him feel at ease on the field. He adds that Inashiro's current team is the strongest, before asking them to bear with him for one more day. He bows in a flash, surprising his team. At the finals however, Inashiro lost to South Hokkaido Fujimaki. Harada nonetheless, thanks Narumiya in an interview, for being their ace to the very end. Fall Tournament Narumiya isn't allowed to pitch being fatigued from continuous pitching at Koshien. He disrupts Tadano at the bullpen while Tadano practice with another pitcher. Tadano admits to Narumiya that he should practice catching more of the latter's pitches, but Narumiya assures him that he'll throw to where his mitt is and makes his intentions clear of not losing until Inashiro reaches the top.Anime episode 70. Second Round In Inashiro's match against Ugumori High, Hirano Keiji is the starting pitcher for Inashiro while an irritable Narumiya plays left fieldManga Chapter 261.. Tadano tells Narumiya to stop being peevish but Hirano says he's reassured knowing that Narumiya's got his back. Narumiya feels satisfied since Hirano knows who the ace is. Inashiro scores at the bottom of the first and Umemiya tells his teammates that Inashiro is a beast as he has just given up a run. But Narumiya, intends not to stop at one run but to take many more so Hirano can pitch with ease. Until the fifth inning however, Inashiro has not scored. On the field, Narumiya tells Tadano to be assertive, take more chances, and not just to fall back on defense for they still have him. Top of the seventh, Narumiya hits a grounder but is out. He steps on the mound at the bottom of the inning. Kunitomo knows the hole left by Harada is big. Though Fukui stands as the captain supporting the team from the sidelines, whether Narumiya likes it or not, he'll take on the role of uniting a team of individuals. Ugumori got runners on first and third, and Umemiya at-bat. The count is 1B:2S. Tadano asks for a change-up to finish him off. Narumiya however, shakes off Tadano's signs and opts to challenge Umemiya with a fastball. Umemiya however, waits for this and he hits, giving the lead to Ugumori, 1-2. Narumiya is pulled out, and with Inashiro failing to score the following innings, they lost in the second round of the tournamentManga Chapter 269.. While the rest of the team stay behind the dugout after the match, Narumiya quietly sits down on a bench in the dugout. Kunitomo approach him and says that Inashiro's loss is to be blamed on him who put Narumiya on the mound. This anger Narumiya, but Kunitomo calmly says that though Tadano is inexperienced compared to Harada, he tried his best to make use of Narumiya as a pitcher. He then stresses that there's a difference between having a strong sense of responsibility and not trusting ones teammates. Realizing his fault, Narumiya breaks down in tears as his coach leave.Manga Chapter 270. Aftermath Following their loss, Narumiya's batchmates bet on how long it will take for him to coop up in his room like he did before. They however, are surprised to see him first on the field preparing the mound. He tells them that they were the strongest team only because they had their senpais, but with them gone, their generation is lacking. Hence, he wouldn't have the time to mope but to fill in whatever they lack. Inashiro have a scrimmage with Koukaidai SagaraManga Chapter 315. Ochiai Hiromitsu formerly coached this team before going to Seidou.. Narumiya gets hit twice in a row but still doesn't shake any of Tadano's pitch calls. The gallery muses about Narumiya's game being in shambles after the summer and that he's lost his arrogant air. Narumiya calls out Tadano and questions why the catcher called for an outside pitch for one of the batters who got a hit off him. Tadano explains but Narumiya advices his catcher on what pitch is best to call in that situation. Tadano expresses his concern about Narumiya not shaking off any of his signs, and asks if Narumiya is trying to match him, adding that he'll climb to where Narumiya is. Narumiya however, says Tadano is out of line and they bicker, making the gallery wonder if the battery is alright. The game resumes, ending with a win for Inashiro. After the match, Narumiya have a conversation with Harada about Tadano and Harada turning pro. Narumiya shares his goal of becoming a professional player and Koshien's winning pitcher. He then wonders why he fell apart at the tournament but Harada assures him that his talent runs deeper than that. Fall Tournament Finals Narumiya arrives with Tadano to watch Seidou's finals match against Yakushi HighManga Chapters 374, 377.. He meets Tadano's peer, Akamatsu Shinji, a middle school pitcher who plan on going to Inashiro. After the match, he is seen taking pictures with fans outside the stadium.Manga Chapter 411. Relationship with other Characters Miyuki Kazuya Narumiya and Miyuki have known each other since Junior High, and have high regard for each others abilities as pitcher and catcher, respectively. Miyuki however, declined Narumiya's invitation in favor of Seidou High and preferring to be an opponent to an all star team. Mei quickly accepts Miyuki's decision, however, telling Miyuki that he won't care even if Miyuki regrets going to Seidou.Manga chapter 149. Despite playing for opposing teams, they continue to have a good relationship outside the diamond, with Narumiya being the only known character (for there were unknown characters at the start of the series) to address Miyuki with his given name Kazuya. They play competitively and even challenge each other when their teams face-off on the field. During Inashiro and Seidou's Finals match at the West Tokyo Tournament, Narumiya thinks of making Miyuki regret his choice of going to Seidou, while Miyuki exploits Narumiya's prideful personality to strike him out. At the Fall Tournament, Miyuki is shown to be angry over Narumiya's selfishness that contributed to Inashiro's loss, saying that he'd never allow such selfish disobedience if he were catching for Narumiya. Narumiya later on watch the finals match between Seidou and Yakushi where he quickly notices Miyuki's poor condition with just one look at Miyuki's at-bat; whilst the Seidou players, with Kuramochi as an exception, noticed it later.Manga chapter 377. After Seido's victory, a delighted Narumiya looks on at Miyuki and hopes for him and Seidou to come back stronger and a much more challenging opponent after having experienced playing at the Koshien stage.Manga chapter 410. Miyuki too, had hoped the same for Narumiya when Inashiro participated at the Summer Koshien.Manga chapter 195, Episode 64. Harada Masatoshi Harada was Narumiya's batterymate until the former retired. Narumiya often teases Harada when the latter fails to fulfill his duty as Inashiro's 4th batter (such as being unable to score runs), much to Harada's annoyance. He often accompanies Narumiya and was the one who keeps Narumiya's attitude in check. As a battery, Narumiya follows Harada's leads, but dislike his captain's tendency to over-think things. The only time he shakes off a pitch call from Harada was during the West Tokyo Tournament Final.Episode 58. Despite Narumiya's cheeky character, Harada has shown to be patient with him; highly acknowledging Narumiya's talent and skill. He believes Narumiya will become a pitcher representing Japan in the future. They are also called Inashiro's Golden Battery.Manga chapter 142. Tadano Itsuki Tadano admires Narumiya. He is Narumiya's kouhai and current batterymate. Narumiya thinks of Tadano as not flexible,'way too stubborn', and cheeky.Manga chapter 315. Narumiya at first shakes off most of Tadano's pitch calls. This however, changed following Inashiro's defeat at the Fall Tournament, with Narumiya giving Tadano advice on what calls to make in a game. Like Harada before him, Tadano does a good job putting up with Narumiya's childish nature. Hiroshige Kunitomo Narumiya often disobey his coach, which Kunitomo doesn't tolerate. He doesn't hesitate to switch Narumiya out in a game due to this, despite being the ace. Kunitomo however, provides Narumiya guidance when most needed, helping Narumiya realize what the team lacks after the third years retired and his flaws as a pitcher. This soon helped Narumiya understand better his role as Inashiro's Ace and as a battery to Tadano. Skills Strengths: Pitching: Known to be Kantō's number one pitcher, Narumiya is capable of affecting the rhythm of an opponents defense with his pitching prowess. He throws horizontal and vertical breaking balls, a heavy fastball, and an off speed pitch with great control. He takes note of skilled batters, often going for a strikeout when facing them at-bat to pressure opponents. Pacing himself is one of his greatest strengths, thus can pitch for the entire nine inningsManga chapter 182. or for consecutive games.Summer Koshien Tournament Miyuki too, compliments Narumiya saying that Narumiya's pitching is perfect.Manga chapter 140. Batting: When at-bat, Narumiya is capable of hitting long balls resulting to RBI's. He is the 5th hole batter of Inashiro's batting line-up. Defense: Narumiya displays very good infield defense abilities, having quick responses to bunts, quick throws to infielders and attentive to runners. Weakness: His greatest weakness would be his conceited and prideful attitude in general, that sometimes affects his rhythm (specially when his pitches get hit) and can potentially result to his team losing a game. As the story progress however, Narumiya's attitude on the mound greatly improve, as commented by a spectator during Inashiro's practice match, Narumiya's arrogant aura seem to have disappeared.Manga chapter 315. Pitcher's Data Speed: 5 (out of 5) Control: 5 (out of 5) Stamina: 4 (out of 5) Slider: Lv4 Forkball: Lv4 Changeup: Lv5 Player Statistics Defense: 5 (out of 5). Shoulder - 5 Running: 4 (out of 5) Physical strength: 3 (out of 5) Mental strength: 3 (out of 5) Batting: 4 (out of 5). Contact - 4, Power - 3 Other *He is the youngest child to a family with two older sisters. *Players he admires: Enatsu Yutaka. *Narumiya Mei's character is modeled on the Japanese baseball player: Yuki Matsui *He first wore jersey number 18. *During his senior league days he contacted the players he took a liking to, wanting to gather all of them at the same high school in order to make the strongest team. *In the Second DnA databook, it was revealed that Narumiya ranks second in pitch speed (148 km/h), with Furuya being the first (150 km/h). He ranks second in terms of the 'best break' of breaking balls; and again second when it comes to having the best 'guts' on the mound. He falls to fourth place in terms of control but ranks first in fielding. Quotes *"This kind of a person is a true Ace. The unbending pillar supporting his team..."Mine Fujio on Narumiya, Chapter 139. *"Hey! You can go back with your heads high! You only lost to the best team in Japan this summer."Narumiya to Akira Nagao and teammates, Chapter 139. *"Kazuya...is this the battle you want...?"Narumiya on Miyuki, Chapter 149. *"Once again...until I stand on that stage...once again...my summer will not begin-''"Chapter 181. *"''I don't think that we will lose here at all..."Narumiya to his teammates, Chapter 180. *"It's the Ace's job to meet everyone's expectations." *"Not trusting your teammate is not the same as having a strong sense of responsibility and confidence. A conceited pitcher cannot be called the ace."Coach Kunitomo to Narumiya after Inashiro High's second round defeat at the Fall Tournament, Manga Volume 31. *"No pitcher would end up giving walks on four balls because he wanted to."Narumiya to Tadano, Chapter 383. Gallery tumblr_ndbg1gc3E71qmbhj7o1_1280.png|Mei Narumiya tumblr_n1363bwylp1skvtnto1_250.gif tumblr_n1363bwylp1skvtnto2_250.gif Mei00.jpg vlcsnap-2014-11-10-23h58m07s59.jpg mZK8rAX.png|ACE confirmed5yrsold.png pouty bae.png ahahahahahhahrfu.png Mei.jpg|An angry Narumiya Screenshot 2014-11-08 at 7.19.13 PM.png|Narumiya praising a teammate mei02.jpg|Mei reminds his captain to relax mei hits.jpg|Mei's winning hit Mei89.jpg Tears of joy.jpg|Tears of joy? twe.png Narumiya.png|Mei is happy Mei90.jpg|A conceited pitcher cannot be the ace Mei2.jpg|The changed Ace References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Inashiro High School Category:Pitcher